FishyFred:ferretman: I was in Germany last year for a little over a week. I lost ~15lbs. Mainly due to walking everywhere.

Ding ding ding ding ding!

Seriously, though. People wonder why folks in some other countries have such an easy time keeping weight off? Cuz they friggin walk to the train then from the train to work, and then to lunch and back, and then back to the train and then back home. It adds up.

People here don't drive their cars to the store around the corner. That's a big part of it. Also, walking and biking are a big part of the lifestyle over here. Also, despite the rich foods you can get over here (don't get me started on currywurst!) food tends to be a bit healthier. the veggies are locally grown much more often than what happens in the US with the giant factory farms.

ferretman:I was in Germany last year for a little over a week. I lost ~15lbs. Mainly due to walking everywhere.

THIS! I drank more beer and ate more food that I ever have in my life in Leipzig area and STILL lost 5 lbs. I am not big to begin with or have any weight to lose. We walked everywhere because their cities were designed properly. When we weren't walking we would ride bikes. The place we stayed had about 3 flights of stairs to get up, so we would make that hike 4x+ a day.

TheBeastOfYuccaFlats:Seriously, though. People wonder why folks in some other countries have such an easy time keeping weight off? Cuz they friggin walk to the train then from the train to work, and then to lunch and back, and then back to the train and then back home. It adds up.

^ can't be said enough.

When I was in the Army living on Okinawa without a car walking to the commissary and back lugging backpacks of food to my barracks room I lost weight like crazy. As soon as I got a car it started coming back.

Berlin is an awesome city. So many restaurants, the city is easily walkable but the transit system is top notch. I also lost weight over there but just a few pounds. I also like it that in Berlin you can just walk down the street with your beer.

I stayed at the Circus Hotel. Small rooms but a good room rate. The hotel staff were nice.

If you want to lose weight, I'd avoid Swabian food. Swabia is a region of southern Germany around eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria. Maultaschen and käsespätzle are great, but I'd hardly call them "light". Munich also has weißwurstfrüstück: a breakfast of sausages, pretzels, and beer.

Maybe it's the German diet. Maybe it's the beer. Maybe it's the Romanian gangs that sneak into your hotel, doze you off with anesthetic, and perform impromptu liposuction in a small scale to sell you fat to the soap companies.

CygnusDarius:Maybe it's the German diet. Maybe it's the beer. Maybe it's the Romanian gangs that sneak into your hotel, doze you off with anesthetic, and perform impromptu liposuction in a small scale to sell you fat to the soap companies.

AverageAmericanGuy:CygnusDarius: Maybe it's the German diet. Maybe it's the beer. Maybe it's the Romanian gangs that sneak into your hotel, doze you off with anesthetic, and perform impromptu liposuction in a small scale to sell you fat to the soap companies.